Sheet-dispensing cabinet



' Eren :16 66 33- 26 22 March 20, 1934.

s. N. HOPE 1,951,413

SHEET DISPENSING CABINET Filed March 16, 1932 6' I/IVVENTOR WITNESSESATTORNF Fatenied Mar. 2 0, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,951,413 SHEET-DISPENSINGCABINET Samuel N. Hope, Wauwatosa,

Griffith-Hope Company, West Allis,

Wis, assignor to Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application March 16,

3 Claims.

The invention relates to dispensing cabinets for interfolded sheets,such as paper towels, and more particularly to cabinets adapted forhousehold use and of the type in which a dispensing slot is formed in anintermediate portion of the cabinet front wall to receive therethroughthe foremost sheet of a pack of sheets resting on edge on the cabinetbottom wall.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet-dispensingcabinet of this general type in which the upper edge of the dispensingslot is defined by a pivotally mounted cover forming the top wall of thecabinet and the upper portion of the front wall, the lower portions ofthe cover being pivotally secured to the opposite end walls of thecabinet container at an axis permitting the cover to be swung to afreely suspended open position in which the cover front wall is arrangedbelow the cabinet container, thus obviating the necessity for threadingthe foremost sheet through a restricted space when loading the cabinet,and also avoiding the need for stop means to limit the opening movementof the cover, so as to prevent marring of exterior finished surfaces ofthe cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the cabinet containeror casing that it can be accurately and economically formed from asingle piece of sheet metal.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of asheet-dispensing cabinet embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the cabinet;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation of an endportion of the cabinet;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the cabinet as it appears when beingloaded, the cover being in its freely suspended open position;

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the sheet metal blank for the cabinetcontainer, and

Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the sheet metal blank for the cabinetcover.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a rectangular box-likecontainer or casing for holding therein a pack of interfolded sheets 11,such as paper towels or the like. The container is constructed of asingle piece of sheet metal, the blank for which is seen in Fig. 5, bentto form a front wall 12, a bottom wall 13, opposite end walls 14, a backwall 15, and a forwardly project- 55 ing flange 16 at the upper edge ofthe back wall.

In Fig. 5, the dotted lines indicate the bending lines of the blan Thebottom and rear edges of each opposite end wall 14 are provided withinturned flanges 1'7 and 18 respectively, which are secured as by spotwelding 19 to the marginal end 1932, Serial No. 599,100

portions of the bottom wall and back wall. front wall 12 and flange 16are at opposite ends of the blank, and the opposite end walls 14 areintegrally connected to the opposite ends of the front wall panel. Thefront wall 12 may be suitably embossed for re-enforcing and ornamentalpurposes, and has a horizontal upper edge curved outwardly to form asmoothly rounded lip 20 at an intermediate part of the cabinet. The backwall 15 is provided with keyhole slots 21, or other suitable apertures,for the reception of screws 22 by which the cabinet may be secured to aroom wall 23. lhe upper edge of each end wall 14 is inclined as seen inFigs. 2 and 4.

A cover 25 co-operates with the container 10 and is constructed of asingle piece of sheet metal, the blank for which is seen in Fig. 6, bentto form a front wall 25, a top wall 26 and triangula-r opposite endwalls 27, the upper edges of the end walls being provided with inturnedflanges 28 which are secured as by spot welding to the underface of thetop wall 26. In Fig. 6, the dotted lines indicate the bending lines ofthe blank.

The end walls 27 of the cover overlie the end walls 14 of the containerand are provided at their lower and forward ends with elongated ears 29extending a considerable distance below the lip 20 and abutting againstembossments 30 formed in the container end walls 14. The cover ispivotally mounted to the container by rivets 31 passing through theembossments 30 and ears 29, the inner heads of the rivets being disposedwithin the embossments.

When the cover is in closed position, the rear portion of the cover topwall 26 rests on the flange 16 extending along the upper edge of thecontainer back wall 15, and the opposite end walls 27 of the coverfrictionally engage small embossments 32 formed in the upper rearportions of the container end walls 14. The cover is releasably retainedin closed position by an angle shaped detent spring 33 secured to thecontainer back wall by rivets 34 and having a rounded upwardlyprojecting free end portion 35 which is adapted to enterarectangular-opening 36 formed in the cover top wall 26.

The front wall 25 of the cover is embossed for re-enforcing andornamental'purposes and has a horizontal lower edge curved outwardly toform a smoothly rounded lip 3'7. In the closed: position of the coverthe lip 37 is spaced upwardly from the similar lip 20 formed along theupper edge of the container front wall 12 to present between them ahorizontally extending slot receiving therethrough the foremost papertowel, as seen in Fig. 2.

When the cabinet is to be loaded, the cover is swung forwardly anddownwardly about its pivotal connections 31 to the freely suspended fullline position seen in Fig. 4, wherein the cover The front wall extendsbelow the container, the center of gravity of the cover being verticallybelow the axis of the cover. In swinging the cover from its closedposition, only a slight effort is necessary to release it from thedetent spring 33. With the cover in its freely suspended open position,a pack of interfolded paper towels is introduced into the container inthe manner indicated in Fig. 4, the foremost towel having its dependingforward leaf disposed in front of the container front wall 12. When thepack is released, it rests on edge on the bottom wall of the container.

The cover is then swung to its closed position to form the dispensingslot, which then has the first towel protruding therethrough. The lip 37on the cover has a wide arc of travel permitting it to clear the loweredge of the foremost sheet when the cover is swung upwardly from itssuspended open position. The towels in the closed cabinet are withdrawnsuccessively through the dispensing slot in the usual manner.

In the event that a protruding paper towel should become torn oif closeto the dispensing slot, it is only necessary to swing the cover toitssuspended open position and place the forward leaf'of the next towelin position to pass through the slot when the cover is again closed.

The cover end walls are spaced from the container side walls by theembossments and 32,

thus preventing marring of the exterior finish of the cabinet by theopening and closing of the cover.

The outward and downward opening of the cover to its freely suspendedposition provides free access to the cabinet from above and front. sothat the cabinet can be easily loaded. Since the lip 3'? of the coverswings to a position below the cabinet and has a wide are of travel,there is no necessity for threading the foremost exposed sheet of thepack through a restricted space. The freely suspended open cover isspacedforwardly from the room wall 23 and requires no stop'means tolimit its movement, thus avoiding marring of exterior finished surfacesof the cabinet. Sufiicient frictional retardation may be provided at thepivotal-connections 31 to prevent the cover from swinging too easily inits suspended position.

"What I claim as new and Letters Patent is: 7

1. A sheet-dispensing cabinet comprising a container having opposite endwalls and a bottom wall and a front wall which latter wall has an upperedge disposed at an intermediate elevation with respect to the height ofthe container, and a cover including a top wall and a depending frontwall which latterwall forms a continuation of the container front wall,thelower edge of said cover front wall being spaced upwardly from theupper edge of said container front wall to desire to secure by form ahorizontally extending" dispensing slot therebetween at an intermediatepoint in the front wall of the cabinet, said cover having end containerwhen open being adapted to receive therein from above its unobstructedfront wall a pack of interfolded sheets having its foremost sheetarranged in front of said container front wall, said cover when swungfrom said open suspended position to its closed slot-forming positionhaving its slot-forming edge describing an arc of travel which clearsthe lower edge of said foremost sheet, and the front wall of the closedcover forming the sole means for resisting outward movement of the upperportion of said pack when a sheet is withdrawn through said slot.

2. A sheet-dispensing cabinet comprising a container having a frontwall, and a cover having a front wall which latter wall forms an uppercontinuation of said container front wall, the adjacent edges of saidcontainer front wall and cover front wall being spaced to form ahorizontally extending dispensing slot'therebetween at an intermediatepoint in the front wall of the cabinet, said cover having portions atopposite ends pivotally secured to the container at an axis lower thanthe upper edge of said container front wall, the distance between saidpivotal axis and the slot-forming edge of the cover being greater thanthe distance between said pivotal axis and the forward bottom edge ofthe container to permit said cover to swing downwardly to a freelysuspended open position with the slot-forming edge of the cover frontwall lower than the container, said container when open being adapted toreceive therein from above its unobstructed front wall a pack ofinterfolded sheets having its foremost sheet arranged in front of saidcontainer front wail, said cover when swung from said open suspendedposition to its closed slot-- forming position having its slot-formingedge describing an arc of travel which clears the lower edge of saidforemost sheet, and the front wall of the closed cover forming the solemeans for resisting outward movement of the upper portion of said packwhen a sheet it withdrawn through said slot. v I V 3. A sheet-dispensingcabinet, comprising a container having opposite end walls and a bottomwall and a front wall, and a cover having a front wall which latter wallforms an upper continuation of said container front wall, the adjacentedges-of said container front wall and coverfront wall being spaced toform a horizontally extending dispensing slot therebetween at an inteme-. diate point in theofront wall of the cabinet, said cover havingportions at opposite ends overlying the end walls of said container andpivotally secured thereto at an axis lower than the upper edge of saidcontainer front wall, the distance between said pivotal axis and theslot-forming edge of the cover being greater than the distance betweensaid pivotal axis and theforward bottom edge of the container to permitsaid cover to swing downwardly to a freely suspended open position withthe cover front wall below said container bottom wall, said containerwhen open being adapted to receive therein from above its unobstructedfront wall a pack of interfolded sheets having its foremost sheetarranged in front of said container front wall, said cover when swungfrom said open suspended position to its closed slot-forming positionhaving its slot-forming edge describing an arc of travel which clearsthe lower edge of said foremost sheet, and the front wall of the closedcover forming the sole SAMUEL N. HOPE. [L.S.]

